Did anyone watch Iditarod: Toughest Race on Earth?

I never got a chance to catch much of the show on the Discovery Channel when it was on TV a couple months ago, but I ordered the 6-episode DVD and watch it constantly now. You can get it from the Discovery Channel store, I think that's where I got it. I found it interesting that the racers use mutts rather than purebred Huskies or Malamutes.

We have a lot of mushers here who race their dogs in different towns and such. Most of them have huskie/shepherd or siberian/shepherd, even eskimo/shepherd. I wondered about that for a long time myself and happened to be talking to some of them once so I asked why that was.According to them they get more speed if they use the crosses than if they use purebreds. I really don't know if it's true but they did seem serious. They were saying it makes for a hardier and faster dog.

Alaskan Huskies are bred for ability and stamina, not for looks or any sort of breed standard.